Books: THE YEAR'S BEST

WITH the publishing industry churning out a flood of un, anti, null-
and non-books, it has not been a good year for genuine books. But a few
emergedalthough perhaps no single volume could pass the Robinson
Crusoe test beloved of Sunday supplements (Which ten books, apart from
a guide to edible fungi, would you take with you if cast away on a
desert island?).

Two trends should be noted. One is that while middle-aged women of pious
persuasion are novelizing as hugely as ever, adolescent girl
threnodists have fallen into a decline. The other is...